Stick Latching Arm Vertical Transfer for Sausage Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sausage processing systems face challenges with stick transfer efficiency, including long transfer distances, instability due to loop swing, and increased apparatus size, which result in prolonged cycle times and reduced productivity.
Innovation Solution
A stick supplying and discharging unit with a pair of stick latching arm bodies that move upwardly to take up and discharge sticks, positioned outside the end portions of the stick in the longitudinal direction, allowing for a shorter moving distance and compact apparatus design, along with a stick receiving unit that receives sticks from the discharging unit and conveys them to a carrying-out conveyor without horizontal movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If sticks are transferred using conventional stick supporting members with long moving distances, then the sticks can be properly positioned, but the cycle time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The stick latching arm bodies are positioned outside the longitudinal range of the stick, utilizing spatial arrangement in a different dimension. This allows the arms to engage the stick ends from lateral positions rather than requiring linear movement along the stick's length, thereby shortening the moving distance and reducing cycle time while maintaining proper stick positioning
2Reliability
If the apparatus is designed with conventional stick transfer mechanisms, then reliable stick support is achieved, but the apparatus size increases
Solution Approach 1:
By positioning the stick latching arm bodies outside the longitudinal range of the stick and utilizing vertical and lateral spatial arrangement, the apparatus achieves reliable stick support with a more compact footprint. The arms engage the stick from positioned locations that do not require extended horizontal space, thereby reducing overall apparatus size while maintaining support stability
3Ease of operation
If sticks are moved with horizontal movement components, then transfer flexibility is improved, but loop swing instability occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the horizontal movement component from the stick transfer mechanism. The stick latching arm bodies move only in the vertical direction along guide rails, engaging and disengaging the stick at fixed horizontal positions. This removal of unnecessary horizontal movement degrees of freedom prevents loop swing instability while maintaining operational flexibility through precise vertical positioning control
Data Source
AI summary
A sausage suspending apparatus includes: a plurality of suspending members for suspending a sausage therefrom; a conveyor having the suspending members; and stick supporting members for supporting a stick. A stick discharging unit has a pair of stick latching arm bodies adapted to move upwardly in a forward direction, and, after the stick latching arm body has taken up the stick from the stick supporting member, the stick latching arm body discharges the stick from the stick latching arm body. The pair of stick latching arm bodies are located in correspondence with both end portions of the stick in a longitudinal direction of the stick, and a moving body and a driving body are provided outside a range between the both end portions of the stick.